Reading material holder for beds



July 28, 1959 H. M- M COLLISTER READING MATERIAL HOLDER FOR BEDS Filed Feb. 3, 1958 ttes This invention relates to a reading material holder and it is the primary object of the invention to provide an illuminated holder which is especially adapted for mounting on the headboard of a bed so that a person disposed in a supine position in the bed may readily read books and similar reading matter without having to hold the material or sit up in an uncomfortable position in order to rest the reading material on a suitable support and yet view the book at a convenient angle.

It is another important object of this invention to provide a reading material holder for beds which includes a transparent plate adapted to support the reading material in a flat condition against the uppermost face of the plate, so that an occupant of the bed may read the book or similar article through the plate and thereby preclude the necessity of providing mechanical means for suitably holding the opposed ends of the open book.

Also an important object of this invention is to provide a reading material holder for beds as described wherein bracket means is attached to the plate for mounting the holder on the headboard of the bed in a manner so that the transparent plate is disposed in a downwardly and forwardly inclined position and the book supported thereby is in the direct line of vision of the occupant of the bed.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a reading material holder for beds wherein the tilted plate has a plurality of laterally extending fingers at the normally lowermost edge of the plate to maintain the reading material in proper disposition on the uppermost face of the plate and thereby prevent accidental displacement of the material.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide a reading material holder as referred to above which includes illuminating means secured to one of the mounting brackets for the plate in a position to direct rays of light onto the reading material through the transparent plate, with provision being made for shielding the light from the eyes of the occupant in the bed.

Other important objects of the invention relate to the provision of a reading material holder for beds wherein the plate is adapted to be constructed of plastic material to thereby preclude breakage, and also permit the laterally extending fingers to be formed integrally with the plate; to the provision of flexible arms interconnecting the plate with the brackets adapted to be mounted on the headboard of the bed so that the occupant may quickly and easily adjust the angularity of the plate with respect to the horizontal; to the provision of slots in .the lowermost edge. of the plate between the laterally extending fingers to facilitate removal of the reading material from the uppermost face of the plate, especially for turning of the pages thereof; and to other important objects and details of construction which will become obvious as the following specification progresses.

atent In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a reading material holder embodying the concepts of the present invention and showing the same mounted in position on a headboard in a position above the head of an occupant in the bed; and

Fig. 2 is a substantially vertical, CI'OSS'SECtlODal view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Reading material holder broadly designated by the numeral 10 is especially adapted to be mounted on the headboard 12 of a bed 14 and includes as basic components, a rectangular transparent plate 16 and bracket means broadly numerated 18 for holding plate 16 in a predetermined position above the head of an occupant disposed in a supine position in bed 14, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Plate 16 is preferably constructed of plastic material such as methyl methacrylate, e.g., Plexiglas or Lucite, and therefore, in order to facilitate mounting of plate 16 on bracket means 18, opposed edges 20 and 22 of plate 16 are preferably turned downwardly to present laterally extending flanges projecting away from the normally lowermost face of plate 16.

Substantially triangular mounting devices 24 and 26 are secured to respective edges 20 and 22 by suitable rivets 28, and the outermost ends of devices 24 and 26 extending rearwardly from plate 16 are substantially tubular to present sockets for receiving the ends of corresponding flexible arms 30 and 32. U-shaped mounting brackets 34 and 36 are secured to the outermost ends of arms 30 and 32 respectively, it being noted in Fig. 1 that each of the mounting brackets 34 and 36 is provided with an inner lining of flexible material 38 so that when mounting brackets 34 and 36 are disposed over the uppermost edge of headboard 12, the flexible material prevents brackets 34 and 36 from marring headboard 12.

Illuminating means 48 is connected to the face of mounting bracket 36 proximal to plate 16 and includes a tubular shade 42 pivotally connected to mounting bracket 36 in a manner so that the rays of light emanating from illuminating means 40 may be directed through plate 16 onto a book 44 positioned on the uppermost face of plate 16, shade 42 also operating to prevent the light rays from being directed into the eyes of the occupant disposed in a supine position in bed 14.

In order that book 44 may be positioned substantially in the direct line of vision of the occupant of bed 14, arms 3% and 32 are normally arched so that the plate 16 is disposed in a downwardly and forwardly inclined manner, as shown in Fig. 2. Means for preventing accidental displacement of book 4-4 and for maintaining the latter on the upper surface of plate 16 despite the angularity thereof comprises a plurality of substantially L-shaped fingers broadly designated 46 and which are preferably integral with the lower edge 48 of plate 16. Fingers 46 are disposed in longitudinally spaced relationship along edge 48 and each of the same includes an inner stretch fill lying in the plane of plate 16, and an outer stretch 52 extending laterally in a direction away from the upper face of transparent plate .16. It can therefore be seen that a plurality of rectangular slots 54 are presented between adjacent fingers 46.

In operation, reading material holder 10 is mounted on headboard 12 of bed 14 in the manner as illustrated in Fig. 1, with mounting brackets 34 and .36 embracing the uppermost edge of headboard 12 and with plate 16 disposed above the head of the occupant of bed 14. The angularity of plate 16 is adjusted to a desired degree by flexing arms 30 and 32, whereupon book 44 may be placed in position upon the uppermost face of plate 16 so that the occupant of the bed may read the book through plate 16. Fingers 46 operate to maintain book 44 on the uppermost surface of plate 16 despite the angularity of the latter, and also the slots 54 present access openings through which the lowermost edge of book 44 may be readily grasped to remove the latter from plate 16 or to turn the pages of the same.

. The pages of book 44 may be easily turned by alternative methods, one of such being to grasp the portion of the book extending in overlying relationship to one of the slots 54 and lifting the book off of plate 16 to permit turning of the pages. If desired, the book may be simply rotated about its bottom edge upon plate 16 to a position so that the page may be turned. Another convenient procedure is to place the book 44 on plate 16 so that one of the outer margins thereof extends outwardly beyond edges 20 or 22 so that the book may be grasped with the right or left hand, as the case may be, to permit removal of book 44 from plate 16 so that the pages may be turned. Utilizing the procedure wherein book 44 extends outwardly over edge 20, book 44 may be grasped with the right hand and then the right portion of the page to be turned, partially turned with the right forefinger of the right hand so that the fingers of the left hand may then be placed between this partially turned page and the remaining pages on the right side of the book. The page may be turned by merely lifting the book slightly up off of plate 16 and at the same time sliding the left hand fingers toward the left to turn the page. The book may then be released and permitted to slide into position against fingers 46.

It is also pointed out that the pivotal mounting of shade 42 on mounting bracket 36 permits the occupant of the bed to readily adjust the angle of the light rays emanating from illuminating means 40 so that the same are directed onto book 44 through plate 16 and not into his eyes. Various plastic materials or other transparent substances may be utilized in construction of plate 16 "and furthermore, a glass plate or the like may be attached to the upper face of plate 16 to thereby preclude inadvertent scratching of the same. Although the preferred form of the present invention has been illustrated in the drawing and described herein, it is manifest that various changes and modifications of the in vention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof and it is, therefore, intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A reading material holder for beds having an upright headboard, said holder comprising a relatively flat transparent plate adapted to support said material; a pair of brackets adapted to be removably secured to said headboard in spaced relationship and above the bed occupants head; an elongated element interconnecting each of the brackets with the plate for maintaining the latter and its supported reading material at any selected position above and in the line of vision of an occupant in said bed, each of said elements being flexible longitudinaily thereof in all directions, said elements being capable of remaining in predetermined longitudinal configuration under the weight of said plate and the reading material thereon until manually flexed by the bed occupant whereby the latter may adjust the plate to any one of an infinite number of positions above his head and while lying flat on his back; and means carried by the plate at the edge thereof in greatest spaced relationship to said brackets for'maintaining the material on the upper surface of the plate when the latter is tilted at an angle.

2. A reading material holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means includes a series of relatively narrow, spaced apart fingers having a portion in the plane of the plate and an angular length disposed laterally in one direction of said plane of the plate whereby to retain the material on said upper surface of the plate and to present access openings for convenient manipulation of the reading material by the bed occupant.

3. A reading material holder as set forth in claim 2 wherein said fingers are of the same material from which the plate is constructed, said portions of the fingers being integral with said edge of the plate.

4. A reading material holder as. set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said elements comprises an elongated spiral strip having proximal edges in partially overlapped relationship and movable relatively a limited distance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

